The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated franchise that takes place in the fictional city of Townsville and stars the titular Powerpuff Girls — Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup — who appear in the original TV series, the anime adaptation, the 2016 reboot series, and the upcoming second reboot series.

Secondary characters include Professor Utonium, the Powerpuff Girls' creator and father figure; The Mayor, the kindhearted, but dimwitted mayor of Townsville, who often calls upon the Powerpuff Girls for help defending Townsville; Ms. Bellum, the mayor's secretary, who serves as a voice of reason; and Ms. Keane, the Powerpuff Girls' kindergarten teacher at Pokey Oaks. Primary villains include Mojo Jojo, an intelligent, megalomaniacal ape; Fuzzy Lumpkins, a Bigfoot-like hillbilly; HIM, a demonic being; Princess Morbucks, a wealthy, spoiled girl; the Gangreen Gang, a group of green-skinned hoodlums; Sedusa, a Gorgon-like seductress; the Amoeba Boys, a trio of dimwitted amoebas, and the Rowdyruff Boys, the Powerpuff Girls' evil male counterparts.

Series creator Craig McCracken originally conceived the Powerpuff Girls while attending the California Institute of the Arts in 1991, later expanding upon the premise in a short pilot called The Whoopass Girls in Whoopass Stew. After a name change and character redesigns, a new pilot, "The Powerpuff Girls: Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins", aired on Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons animation showcase in 1995. High viewer approval ratings convinced the network to approve a full series, which aired from 1998 to 2005.

Origin In June 1991, Craig McCracken, then a student of the animation program of CalArts, created a drawing of three girls on a sheet of orange construction paper as a birthday card design for his brother. The following year, he made the characters protagonists of the short film Whoopass Stew! The Whoopass Girls in: A Sticky Situation. Though it was intended to be the first part of four Whoopass Girls shorts, only one short was produced. McCracken felt that he wanted to make a superhero student film, but that the muscular guy standard was already played out. After coming up with the concept, he started imagining them in superhero situations. McCracken's Whoopass Girls short was picked up for a series by Cartoon Network in 1993, with the Powerpuff Girls appearing in two What a Cartoon! shorts before receiving their own series.

Main characters The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls — Blossom (pink), Bubbles (light blue), and Buttercup (lime green) — are three 5 to 6-year-old girls who dedicate their lives to defending Townsville from the forces of evil while going to school and dealing with childhood problems. Their primary wardrobe consists of sleeveless dresses matching the color of their eyes, white stockings, and mary jane shoes. They have large eyes, inspired by Margaret Keane's art, with stubby arms and legs with no visible digits. McCracken preferred that they appear symbolic of actual girls rather than having a "realistic" look, meaning fewer body parts were needed.

As depicted in the opening sequence of each episode, they were created by scientist Professor Utonium in an attempt to create the "perfect little girl" using a mixture of "sugar, spice and everything nice". However, he accidentally spilled a mysterious substance called "Chemical X" into the mixture, creating three girls instead of one and granting them superpowers, including flight, superhuman physical abilities, x-ray vision, super senses, heat vision, and energy projection. In the original pilot, the substance was a can of "Whoopass".

Blossom

Blossom (voiced by Cathy Cavadini in What a Cartoon! and the 1998 original series, and Amanda Leighton in the 2016 reboot) is one of the three main protagonists and the self-proclaimed leader of the Powerpuff Girls; as the most level-headed and intelligent of the group, she also serves as strategist. She wears a large red bow on her head and has long orange hair in a ponytail (which also signifies her leadership). Her personality ingredient is "sugar" and her signature color is pink. As shown in The Powerpuff Girls Movie, she was named for having spoken freely and honestly to the Professor shortly after her creation. Her unique power is ice breath, and in the reboot, she can create pink energy constructs.

Bubbles Bubbles (voiced by Tara Strong in the series, Kristen Li in the reboot, Kath Soucie in What a Cartoon!) is one of the three main protagonists and the "softest and sweetest" of the three. She has blonde hair tied into two pigtails. Her signature color is light blue and her personality ingredient is "everything nice". Though kind, she is a capable fighter and can understand various languages, including that of animals, and create powerful sonic blasts. In the reboot, Bubbles can create blue energy constructs.

Buttercup Buttercup (voiced by E. G. Daily in What a Cartoon! and the 1998 original series, Natalie Palamides in the 2016 reboot) is one of the three main protagonists, who is described as a "tough hotheaded tomboy". She has short black hair in a flip with a small triangular part in her bangs. Her signature color is lime green and her personality ingredient is "spice". Though short-tempered and argumentative, she deeply cares about her sisters and the people around her. According to The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Buttercup disliked the name she was given. Her unique power is curling her tongue. In the reboot, Buttercup can create green energy constructs. McCracken originally wanted to name the character "Bud" until a friend suggested the name Buttercup.

Secondary characters Professor Utonium

Professor Utonium (voiced by Tom Kane) is a scientist who works in his home in the suburbs of the City of Townsville, and the Powerpuff Girls' loving creator and father. Utonium once housed Jojo (later to become Mojo Jojo) as a lab assistant who proved to be reckless and destructive. While Utonium was stirring his perfect girl concoction, Jojo shoved him, causing him to accidentally break a flask containing the mysterious "Chemical X" which spilled into the formula, thus creating the Powerpuff Girls. Utonium is a genius in many fields of science, and has shown knowledge in fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as being a skilled inventor.

The The Mayor of Townsville (voiced by Tom Kenny in the series, Jim Cummings in What a Cartoon!) is, as implied, the diminutive mayor of Townsville. He is generally referred throughout only as "Mayor", although he is referred to as "Barney" by his wife in the episode "Boogie Frights". Though dimwitted and cowardly, he cares deeply for his city. He loves pickles and often calls the girls to help open his pickle jar. The What a Cartoon! episode "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" featured a different Mayor who was younger, taller and more competent than the Mayor of the series.

Ms. Bellum Ms. Sara Bellum (voiced by Jennifer Martin) is the Mayor's secretary, who often handles issues that he cannot. Her face is never seen on camera, due to it being obscured by over the top edge of the screen or camera angles in which her voluminous curly hair prevents a clear view of her face, sometimes her neck is drawn two inches taller while obscuring her face in the earlier episodes. Her name is a pun on cerebellum. She is largely absent in the reboot due to concerns over her sexualized design. As a result, Bellum only appears in one episode, where she takes a 1,000-day-long sabbatical.

Ms. Keane Ms. Keane (voiced by Jennifer Hale in the series, Kath Soucie in What a Cartoon!) is the kindergarten teacher of Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. She is well-liked among her students for being patient and understanding. Ms. Keane forbids any fighting in school, even if there is a crisis taking place within it; she convinces the girls that there are other ways to solve problems other than fighting. Keane is named after Margaret Keane, the main influence behind the design of the Powerpuff Girls.

Narrator Narrator (voiced by Tom Kenny in the series, Craig McCracken in Whoopass Stew, Ernie Anderson in What a Cartoon!) is the unseen voiceover narrator of the show. He serves as comic relief and occasionally becomes involved in the series' events.

Talking Dog Talking Dog (voiced by Tom Kane in the series, Paul Mercier in What a Cartoon!) is a small white dog who serves as comic relief. He is frequently abused in almost every appearance he makes; as a running gag, no one ever seems to regard his pain and simply ignores him.

Mitch Mitchelson Mitch Mitchelson (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a bully at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. He was the host of "Mitch Rocks", a segment on Cartoon Network where he looked at various things and determined whether they "rock" or not.

Stanley Whitfield Stanley Whitfield (voiced by Tom Kane) is a Townsville anchorman.

Villains Mojo Jojo

Mojo Jojo (voiced by Roger L. Jackson) is the Powerpuff Girls' archenemy. He is a mutated chimpanzee mad scientist with high intelligence and a protruding brain who speaks with a Japanese accent in an overly exaggerated and repetitive manner. Mojo Jojo was Professor Utonium's reckless pet and lab assistant, Jojo, before Professor Utonium created the Powerpuff Girls; the same accident that created the Girls gave Jojo his super-intelligence. Mojo lives in an observatory located atop a dormant volcano in Townsville Central Park.

Fuzzy Lumpkins Fuzzy LumpkinsSo spelled on the title-card the first Powerpuff Girls episode, "Meat [sic] Fuzzy Lumpkins also appears in the series (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a pink, furry hillbilly monster who speaks in a southern accent and lives in the woods neighboring Townsville. Fuzzy has a limited intellectual capacity, and is not nearly so active and ambitious as most of the villains in the series. He usually limits himself to shooting anyone whom he finds trespassing on his property, though he is also prone to destructive fits of rage. Fuzzy belongs to a race of "Lumpkins"; he has three siblings (Furry, Fluffy, and Hairy), three nephews (Buzzy, Wuzzy, and Scuzzy), and several dozen cousins who closely resemble him.

HIM HIM (voiced by Tom Kane) is an effeminate, enigmatic demon whose plans are usually psychological in nature, as he often attempts to manipulate events to drive the Powerpuff Girls insane or drive a wedge between them. HIM possesses various supernatural abilities, including shapeshifting, mind control, and manipulating reality and energy. Craig McCracken has stated that "HIM" was inspired by the Chief Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine.

Princess Morbucks Princess Morbucks (voiced by Jennifer Hale in the original series, Haley Mancini in the reboot) is a spoiled, rich, and bratty young girl who hates the Powerpuff Girls due to a rebuffed attempt to join them. Her father, "Daddy" Morbucks (a play on Little Orphan Annie's Daddy Warbucks), dotes on her and indulges in her whims, but it is implied that his patience is limited and Princess fears truly angering him.Episode "Bought and Scold" (2000) Because of him, she has access to virtually unlimited financial resources.

The Gangreen Gang

The Gangreen Gang are a gang of five green-skinned teenage hoodlums who, despite not having powers and often not posing a threat, can be dangerous when motivated. They delight in vandalizing and tormenting those weaker than themselves, especially children and the elderly. The Gangreen Gang lives in an old shack in Townsville's junkyard.